Scandinavian car culture is thriving at the moment.
It’s been over a week since the 2026 Custom Motor Show (AKA Elmia) in Jönköping, Sweden, and I’m still thinking about it. That’s usually the case, since I’m not that hard to impress. But this year, the cars were on a whole new level.
Despite the wild weather that hit Jönköping during the weekend, over 90,000 people turned out at the Elmia Exhibition & Convention Centre to see the finest cars Scandinavia has to offer at its biggest event.
I arrived very early on Friday morning, before the crowds entered the halls, and it didn’t take me long to find the majority of the spotlights I will be showing you in the coming days. The quality of cars was that good.
For those of you who have never been to Elmia, I’ll break it down. There are five halls in total. Halls A and B are filled with insane builds of all makes, alongside big brands and parts manufacturers.
Inside Hall A, I found an automotive subgenre that has been growing in Sweden’s car scene in the last couple of years: off-roading. More specifically, offroading with camping. Such is its popularity that a new event – the Overland Adventure Expo (OAE) – debuted last year, and it’s already gained traction in Scandinavia and Northern Europe. It helps that off-road cars are very cool and hard not to like.
This year, Hall C contained the ‘Restoration Show,’ a place where you could literally bring your project and work on it in front of everyone. It’s a great concept.
I spent quite a bit of time in this hall, inhaling unhealthy amounts of rust and dust particles. That probably explains why I’ve had a slight cough these last few days.
Hall D is, more or less, focused on custom American cars and bikes, but always includes some nicely preserved classics.
It’s usually the hall where I spend the least amount of time, as it’s one of the most popular spots. That might sound strange, but trying to take photos when hundreds of people are looking at the same thing is not easy, so I wait until the hall is at its quietest and then run around like a madman. If you didn’t know, the American car scene in Sweden is huge, and one of the biggest in Europe.
The final hall is labeled Hall X, although isn’t really a hall, but a connecting terrace to the main entrance and outdoor dining. Here is usually where I spend 80% of my time at Elmia.
The reason I got into car photography back in 2019 was because of the stance scene. I found it so obnoxious how low some of these cars were that I immediately fell in love with the subgenre. Japan only reinforced my love of stance culture after my visit in 2020, and my passion for shooting cars with zero practicality grew larger. I’m heading back to Japan in a couple of weeks, so stay tuned for that content.
Outside the Elmia Exhibition & Convention Centre was live action and a car show called ‘The Parking Experience’. Because of the terrible weather, I didn’t venture outside much, but there was a window of blue sky for the Påsksladden (Easter Drift) final, which I took advantage of before I headed home on Saturday evening.
I could go on and on about every single nook and cranny at Elmia, but we would be here for hours. In the meantime, enjoy the gallery below and stay tuned for another story on my favorite builds from the 2026 Custom Motor Show.
Booouuuuth, wow – talk about a show packed full of feature cars – every one of those was incredable! Must be the long dark nights!!
One of the few good things about the long dark nights I guess!
The red Opel Manta looks sick